Boofer, I just didn't want to hurt anyone's eyes. I'm being kind. It's even worse as it dries. Neon orange now. This one might be a good one to simply plaster ALL OVER with leaves to cover it all up but since it's a blue I can't do that. sigh.

Update: Figured this a good time to update since I'm stuck at the barn waiting out a series of intense thunder storms. I'd be down at the house lounging on the kitchen daybed and watching through the windows except that my livestock guardian dogs have gotten quite scared of violent storms so I stay with them when I can. There's a lovely and lively cool wind rushing ceaselessly up the center aisle and it's a welcome relief after the humidity and heat we've had. Goats are rustling in their bedding, the little hooves of babies sound like tap-dancing as they bounce around on their play platforms. Not a horrible fate to be waiting here. I could even be lounging on the barn daybed up in the "office" where I live during kidding and lambing seasons but the dogs don't do stairs.

Sooooo, the update at last. That is, the update on the neon orange blue cheese at least since nothing visible is happening with the chive Caerphilly. So, I don't have a good aging place for blues so they've been neglected. And first I should mention that after letting them "knit" over warm whey in a pot wrapped with towel they became so rubbery I was disgusted. I chose to tear both wheels into little pieces and make one wheel out of them. That actually knitted better than I expected and is now a lovely deep teal color which is infinitely better than the radioactive orange previously assaulting my eyes. Yeah, I'll photograph it at some point. I know there are plenty of crevices for blue to grow but haven't decided when to pierce. The inner orange is still going to be a color insult no matter what. Even of it ends tasting great I'll need to eat it in the dark. Oh, and since I've no idea what type of blue this is I have no clue what to do when. Another mystery make.

Very lyrical. When you write, you paint a vivid picture of your world and entertain me no end.

I'm not over-analyzing your prose but a few lines leap off the screen:Another mystery make the dogs don't do stairs radioactive orange a lovely deep teal color need to eat it in the dark little hooves of babies...tap-dancing I was disgusted

Another night up at the barn. Storms are on a couple of sides of us but none directly overhead but the dogs are still worried so I'm hanging out at the barn for a while. my male dog is the most frightened and he is cowering in the (future) milk processing room which is insulated and feels safer. His sister and I came out into the flowing breezes; me because it got hot in the milk processing room with two panting dogs and she because she takes her guard duty seriously. She's about twenty feet from me scanning the edges of the woods although smell and sound play a bigger part of her predator detection. She pays close attention to the alarm calls of chipmunks, squirrels and birds. I'm not sure if they're on her payroll but it seems to work.It's been hot and humid and I can't believe I used to hay in this weather when I was a single mom and farmer. I remember being so sweaty and all the hay chaff sticking to me as I tossed the bales up onto the wagon and climbed up to stack every eight bales or so. Did I mention I did this as a solo venture? I remember my jeans sticking to me and making movement more difficult. I remember picking up bales in the dark by the light of the tractor headlights. After the three days of sitting on the tractor I'd be down to muscle and bones and sort of tranced out in exhaustion.

I still work almost that hard but no haying any more since I sold my equipment when I moved off that land.

I DO have a cheese question......this neon rubbery and then crumbled blue cheese might need to be pierced but I'm not sure when. Does it matter? the outside is coated fairly well by the blue and there are lots of cavities. I don't know if they connect with each other enough to allow the blue to work it's magic. Any ideas and yes, I know I'm on the wrong thread on the wrong board and yes I'm either tired or lazy. I'm also extremely hungry and will have to eat before I search stuff. Oh joy, the male dog just dared to come out of the barn, paused near me and shook his head enough to festoon my iPad with slobber.

I DO have a cheese question......this neon rubbery and then crumbled blue cheese might need to be pierced but I'm not sure when. Does it matter? the outside is coated fairly well by the blue and there are lots of cavities. I don't know if they connect with each other enough to allow the blue to work it's magic.

Opened my Caerphilly Chived cheese last night when I was too tired to enjoy anything I guess. I do think it tastes nicely like allium. Reminds me of garlic cheddar I've bought in the past. It's got an interesting color mottling from adding the annatto after curd cutting and stirring. The taste of chive is fairly strong in a good way. Texture is soft and pleasant like a young cheddar. Salt level is good I think. Here it is. This cheese was made 6/8 so that makes it almost 4 weeks old.

Thank you for the cheese, Jeff. And thank you for the kudos, Boofer. I vacuum bagged most of it. Got frustrated because my vac sealer was choosing not to suction after the first couple. Could find no problems with the sealing plates and no skanky stuff, or even non-skanky stuff, in the drip trays. Mystery? Or does one of you have advice?

I'm sending some of this cheese with Joseph on his family vacation. I get the best of both worlds....I can't go because I have to take care of 18 goats, 22 sheep, a flock of laying hens (and their gentleman rooster), 3 cats, 2 livestock guardian dogs and my own sanity. BUT, I get to drive over to the vacation lake house and visit a couple of times. Except, this time that may be difficult because I have two goats due to give birth within the next couple of days.

I hope it'll be a good week for me with easy births (and not at exactly the same time), relaxed evenings reading on the daybed with the cats keeping me company, etc. Raspberries and blueberries are ripening, the scented lilies are blooming; all-in-all a gracious and beautiful life. Now if only I could find time to eat!

I hope it'll be a good week for me with easy births (and not at exactly the same time), relaxed evenings reading on the daybed with the cats keeping me company, etc. Raspberries and blueberries are ripening, the scented lilies are blooming; all-in-all a gracious and beautiful life. Now if only I could find time to eat!

You're verbal artistry of pastoral bliss inspired me to create a new signature (actually my first signature since I didn't have one): Hopefully it shows up on this post.